• Most melanomas have a black or blue-black area
• Melanoma may also appear as a new mole, but it may be black, or abnormal looking
• The shape of one half the mole does not match the other.
• The edges are often ragged, notched, blurred or irregular in outline; the pigment may spread into the surrounding skin
• The color of the mole is uneven. Shades of black, brown and tan may be present. Areas of white, gray, red, pink or blue also may be seen.
• There is a change in the size of the mole, usually an increase. Melanomas are usually no bigger than the eraser of a pencil.

How is melanoma staged?

Interpreting laboratory test results